CMEC'S Director Charlotte Leslie speaks to Dr Thoraya Obaid - the first Saudi woman to head up a UN agency - and Ibrahim Almubarak - Saudi's Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Labour and Social Development - to explore the central role of women now and in the future in Saudi Arabia, as the Kingdom evolves away from its dependence on oil, with two influential Saudi figures.
Dr Thoraya Obaid was the first Saudi woman to head up a UN agency when she was appointed as Under-Secretary General of the UN Population Fund. In 2013, she was one of the 30 women to join the King's Shura Council.
After a successful business career, principally in the energy and steel sectors, Ibrahim Almubarak was appointed Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Labour and Social Development - responsible for social security. Here he's spear-headed reforms of social security, partly aimed at getting women into the workplace.
This is the second in a series of podcasts related to Vision 2030 which CMEC is producing in partnership with the King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies.
The views expressed in the recording are those of the speakers alone.